Kevin De Bruyne snubs Anfield when picking EPL's toughest grounds to play in

Kevin De Bruyne has taken aim at the atmosphere at Anfield by claiming that it is wildly inconsistent.

Asked by Sky Sports which he thinks is the standout out of Newcastle's St James' Park, Anfield or Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, he is clear on his opinion. He ranked St James' Park at the top of the list, with Liverpool's home ground narrowly behind.

De Bruyne then claimed Arsenal's home was clearly at the bottom in his opinion. Asked to explain his selections, he said: “Even when they [Newcastle] were not going well, the atmosphere was still quite good. I think for Liverpool, I saw a difference, like obviously it's a big game between us, but I feel like there's a difference when it's Champions League or a night game than when you play a 12 o'clock kick off.

“I feel these two [Newcastle and Liverpool] are a bigger atmosphere than Arsenal. I feel like last year was much, much better. Obviously it's been tough for them, the years before it was a little bit less.”

De Bruyne's Man City and Arsenal went head-to-head last season for the Premier League title, with the Belgian noting a distinct improvement in the atmosphere in North London. He specifically picked out a showdown between the two sides back in early 2018.

The two sides clashed in a League Cup tie, with City running out 3-0 winners. There was then a rematch in the Premier League and Pep Guardiola's side racked-up the exact same scoreline. De Bruyne has since claimed the glum mood around the stadium was palpable. He added: “There's much more positivity [now].

“I think there was a moment when we played them in the League Cup, three days later we played against them at home and it was like icy and there was nobody in the stadium. It was really negative at the time so there's been a big change but that's good for them obviously.”

City have already taken on Arsenal this term in the Community Shield. The Gunners claimed the trophy at Wembley after winning a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in normal time.

The two sides are set to meet again at the Emirates in October. Guardiola's side have also taken on Newcastle at the Etihad and ran out 1-0 winners thanks to Julian Alvarez's strike.